Little Thief
by Astra H. Lowelle
Summary: When the Herons come to Redmont, a bet places Jesper as Halt's servant for a week. I did this piece with Lidya I. Shadowhunter (it took almost a year).
1. Chapter 1

The Heron touched gently into the harbor.

"Wow," Ingvar breathed. "So this is Araluen."

"It's cold," Wulf noted. Ulf hit him. "I was going to say that!"

"No, I-"

"Break it up," Hal ordered. "Let's try and make a good first impression, please."

"We've been to Araluen before," pointed out Edvin.

"Not to Redmont," replied the twins in unison.

"And it's freezing," Jesper added. "I thought Araluen was supposed to be warm."

"I said that already," Wulf cut in.

"No, that was me," Ulf corrected.

"No, it-"

"It's not going to be impressive if one of you has to swim for shore," Hal warned.

"Welcome!" came a loud, cheery voice from the docks. "Hal! Ulf! Wulf! Ingvar! Jesper! Stig! Edvin! Stephan! And the infamous Thorn Hookyhand! Welcome, my friends, welcome."

Stig tapped Hal on the shoulder. "Do you see anyone? Because I don't."

Unsurprisingly, it was Thorn that answered. "It was a Ranger. They're the only ones that could do this sorcery."

"But we met Gilan, he didn't do anything like this," Stig complained. "Why would he do anything now?"

"Who ever said that it was Gilan that we're meeting?" Thorn asked. "I know that I didn't. It's your fault that you thought of him. In fact, he was the most unmysterious Ranger that I ever had the pleasure of meeting."

"Which one do you think it was, then?" asked Hal.

Thorn smiled sweetly. "Why don't I let you find out?"

"Come on," Stig whined. "Surely you know who it is."

Thorn frowned, appearing to think hard. "Why, yes, I probably do. Somewhere in this magnificent head of mine-"

Hal snorted loudly.

The Ranger came into view, his visage shimmering slightly due to the cloak he wore. "Good pastnoon," he said amiably.

No one said anything. The Ranger looked over them expectantly, waiting to be answered.

"Will Treaty!" Thorn finally saw fit to break the silence. "Good pastnoon to you too."

"Wait a second here," Stephan said, a puzzled frown crossing his face. "Aren't you six feet tall and have muscles that makes us look like shellfish?"

Will burst into laughter at that. "Sorry," he said, still chuckling. "It's just that on one of my first trips out of Redmont with Halt, I met maybe thirty people that asked Halt the same question. However, this is me- not six feet tall nor crazily muscled. I hope I didn't disappoint you. Now let me help you get ashore so we can begin."

"A fine idea, Will," Hal grinned. He rather liked this cheerful Araluan. "A fine idea indeed."


	2. Chapter 2

"So, to business," Will said happily, as he and the Herons (minus Thorn) were sitting down to dinner at The Heaped Platter. "While the doddering old adults take care of the boring things-"

"Are you implying I'm not an adult?" Stig's tone was aggrieved.

"No, not at all," Will said hurriedly, placating. "I was-"

"He's kidding," Hal assured him.

"How did you know all our names?" Edvin asked curiously. Will shrugged.

"Gilan told me a lot about you. But I haven't connected the name to the faces."

"I'm Wulf," said Ulf.

"I'm Ulf," said Wulf.

"You're both lying," Will said amiably. "Gilan told me that, too."

Both twins scowled.

"I'm Hal," Hal introduced himself. "I'm the skirl. Stig here-" he indicated Stig- "is my first mate. Edvin is the cook and healer. Ingvar loads our Mangler- more on that soon- and is our general strongman. Stephan's a mimic and an all-around nuisance, and Jesper is our resident thief."

"A thief, eh?" Will was interested. Jesper intervened.

"I open locks and pickpocket mostly, but I hardly ever keep the stuff."

He held out an object to Will, who gave a yelp of surprise.

"That's my striker! How in the name of Gorlog's beard did you get a hold of that?"

"That's our thief," Stephan said proudly.

"I know one thing that no one, not even the best thief, can get their hands on," Will informed him.

"Is that so?" Jesper challenged. "What is it?"

Everyone leaned in to hear.

"Halt's silver oakleaf," Will said softly. "No one could get that."

"Oh really?" Jesper stuck out his jaw. "I bet you I could."

"He probably could," Hal offered. "Jesper's really good with his fingers."

"No, he couldn't," Will shook his head. "There is no way."

"Care to wager on that?" Jesper shot back.

Will laughed incredulously. "There's nothing to wager! No one could take Halt's necklace! He never takes it off!"

"Not even to sleep?" Ingvar asked curiously.

"Never," Will replied.

"I'll do it," Jesper said firmly. "What do you wager?"

Will thought for a moment. "I'll give you a forgery stamp of Erak's seal. But you'll have to give me your lock-picking set if you leave for Skandia without having stolen the necklace."

Jesper didn't stop to wonder just where exactly the Ranger had gotten a forgery of Erak's seal. "Deal."

Hal shook his head in exasperation.


	3. Chapter 3

Late that night, Jesper slipped silently out of the Heaped Platter and made his way down toward the Ranger's cabin. Halt, according to Will, would be staying there for a week while his wife Pauline was away.

The hinges weren't oiled, Jesper noted as he stepped up to the veranda. But that was no problem. He slid the greased rag from his kit, carefully lubricated the hinges, and slid the door noiselessly open.

The cabin looked comfortable, furnished simply but cozily. A curtained-off area led to- Jesper checked quickly- a bedroom that looked like it hadn't been used in years. There was one other enclosed area, this one with a door. The thief pressed one ear to the door- there was no sound.

_So much for never sleeping,_ he thought. In an instant, he was inside the room.

Jesper reached out a hand- _slowly, don't rush it_\- and grabbed the necklace. He turned around to the open door- almost home free- and was nearly at it when-

"Hello," came a voice behind him.

"AGH!" Jesper yelped.

Halt gave a wolfish smile, sitting up in bed. "Did you really think you could steal from me, boy?"

"You were _sleeping!_" Jesper blurted. "You were snoring!"

"I don't _snore_, boy," Halt said, his voice full of mock-patience. "I don't even sleep."

Jesper wasn't given time to think about whether this was even possible. Halt threw back the bedclothes, seized Jesper's upper arm in a grip far tighter than he looked capable of giving, and marched him into the kitchen, plucking the oakleaf from Jesper's unresisting fingers as he went. Even clad in his nightshirt, Halt was no less intimidating. "Who told you to try and steal from me, little thief?"

"Please don't tell Thorn!" Jesper begged. "He'll kill me!"

Halt raised an eyebrow. "What makes you think _I _won't kill you?"

Jesper swallowed hard. "Please don't kill me?"

Halt appeared to consider his request. He studied Jesper for a moment.

"Can you make coffee, boy?"

"C-coffee?" Jesper asked stupidly.

Halt threw up both arms. "Why, oh why must young people constantly answer a question with another question? Yes, boy, coffee. You do know what coffee is, I hope?"

Jesper nodded nervously.

"Good. I think I'll find it easier to spare your life, then. Can you cook?"

"I- I think so, sir," Jesper said uncertainly.

"You thought wrong," Halt replied. "If you think you can, you probably can't. At least when it comes to cooking."

He studied the boy sitting across from him. "So what _can_ you do, little thief?"

"I can… I can work on ships," Jesper offered.

"Do you see any ships around here, little thief?"

"No, sir."

A silence fell.

"How are you at working _off _ships?"

The question took Jesper momentarily aback. "Uh- I suppose I-"

"Don't suppose," Halt interrupted crisply. "Let's try again. How are you at working _off _ships?"

"I'm not bad…"

"Are you willing to prove that?"

"Wh- huh?"

"I said 'How. Are. You. When. You. Work. Off. Ships'," Halt said slowly, enunciating each word. "Do I need to explain myself after each sentence, boy? Or can you comprehend me by yourself?"

"N- n- no, sir, I- I understand you."

"Well, little thief, I am waiting for an answer."

"I can do a little kitchen work, and my Mam always made me clean the house as punishment for annoying senior members of Hallasholm, so I guess I can do that too."

"I suppose that will have to do for now," Halt sighed. "I am going to have to teach you a lot over the week, little thief."

"Wait, you want me to work for you? For a week?"

"Well, now that you are volunteering to do so instead of me telling Thorn," Halt deliberated. "I don't think I'd overly _mind_… it's a lot easier than telling Thorn, for you at least. I suppose I will have to deign to deal with your help."

The Ranger favored the very nervous thief with a thin smile. "What a fun week this'll be."


	4. Chapter 4

As the sun rose the next morning, Jesper knocked on the door of the small cabin.

"Come in," called a voice from inside. Jesper hesitantly walked in. Halt was seated at a wooden table, which stood before a ash-filled grate.

"You actually came in. Color me surprised."

Halt stood up and walked over to Jesper, seizing the thief's chin in his hand and tilting it sharply upward. "Now, let's get down to business. Look at me, boy. "

The silence stretched. Jesper shuffled his feet uncomfortably, swallowing painfully. Halt's grip was too firm and his throat was starting to hurt. He wished Halt would let go.

"The first thing you need to know," Halt said crisply, and Jesper's head jerked out of his grip as the Ranger smartly retracted his hand. "If you're going to be spending a week in my illustrious presence, you need to know how to make good coffee."

"I- I can- I can make coffee," Jesper said hesitantly. Halt eyed him for a moment.

"_Can _you now."

"Uh-"

"Answer if you please."

"Yes, sir."

"Luckily for you, little thief, I haven't made it yet," Hat said amiably. "Care to show off your skill? Coffee beans in the pot above the fireplace. Pot in the cupboard. Water in the bucket outside."

Jesper went to look.

"There's no water in the bucket, sir," he said uncertainly. Halt made a great show of surprise.

"Why, what do you know! No water left! Well, that'll have to be remedied, won't it?"

Jesper slumped into a chair, had worked him like a dog all day. It had taken approximately thirty-one buckets of water to fill the barrel, and then about an hour chopping logs for the fireplace, the clearing out of ashes in said fireplace, and then the startling realization that, though he'd seen his fellow Brotherband members do it many times, he had no idea how to make coffee. Halt had then taken pity on him and shown him how to do it properly. It was the last pity Halt had shown on him all day.

"The floors, the wood, the ash, the beds, the pots, the windows, the bread, the rugs," Jesper mumbled. "I swear he was making chores up just to get to me!"

"You're absolutely incorrect, little thief," came a voice from behind Jesper, making him jump. "You have no idea how dusty these rugs can get. Now get yourself over to Jenny's inn and have something to eat before you pass out on the floor."

Before Halt could change his mind, Jesper was out of the chair, out the door, and out of sight. Halt's lips twitched.

"I'd forgotten what it feels like to order young people about," he said contentedly.

"We haven't seen you all day, Jes!" Hal grinned as Jesper staggered into the inn. "Were you really at Halt's the whole time?"

"Yeh," Jesper mumbled. "What's to eat?"

"Uh…" Ingvar flashed a very guilty look at Jesper. "We thought you were eating at Halt's, so…"

Jesper sighed. "You ate my food, didn't you."

"I'm really sorry," Ingvar mumbled. "I can ask Jenny if-"

"Nah, don't bother." Jesper's shoulders sagged wearily. "I'm going to bed."

"What's Halt done to him, you think?" Stig wondered.

"Some miracle," Edvin offered.

The next day passed somewhat uneventfully for the Herons. Jesper vanished before any of the others had woken up, Ingvar made short work of the extra breakfast, and Ulf and Wulf had a heated argument over whose left sock was whose.

"If you don't stop that," Hal threatened, "I'll have Ingvar throw you both into-"

"Into where?" Ulf challenged. "We're not on the Heron now."

Hal rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Look, you two, we need to actually get things done today. So no fighting anymore from here on. Today-"

Ulf wasn't prepared to let it drop. "And what if we do keep fighting? What'll you have Ingvar throw us into?"

Hal ignored him. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a drawing of his ship.

"Now, as I was say-"

"You never answered the question," Wulf put in. With that, Hal lost his temper.

"I'll put your throwing on credit. Once we get back to the Heron, I'll have Ingvar throw you both overboard into the stormiest part of the sea and I won't let you up for an hour! Happy now?"

Both twins subsided into silence.

"I believe," Edvin offered, "that that was the _right_ sock, Ulf."

"I'm Wulf," said Ulf.

"Good. Now be quiet and finish eating," Hal ordered. "When we're done breakfast, Stig and I are going to Castle Redmont to introduce this to Baron Arald." He indicated the drawing. "His ship master wants to have a look at it- that's mostly why we came here."

"And what are we going to do?" Stephan asked, indicated himself and the others with a sweep of his hand.

"You're going to help Edvin stock up for the trip back," Hal replied. "We're making a stop to Clonmel after this, and then we're going home."

"We could use Jesper's help," Wulf grumbled. "Typical of him to disappear just when there's work to do. He's probably at Halt's now, taking it easy."

"You aren't here to take it easy, little thief," Halt informed Jesper. "I asked you to clean out the fireplace."

"I'm _working_ on it!" Jesper managed in between a fit of sneezes.

"If that's working, I hope to never see you not working. You would probably be something as trivial as sleeping."

Jesper sneezed again, swiping at his nose with an ashy hand and leaving a mustache-like streak of ash there. "I'm doing my best! I've never cleaned a fireplace before. It's not my fault my mam never made me do it!"

"Probably because she wanted to keep your house in a non-burnt state, the clever woman. Now figure out how to do it and get done with it. It isn't overly difficult."

"All right, all right, I'm doing it, I'm doing it!"

Halt crossed his arms. "I certainly hope you are, little thief, because if it isn't done by the time I come back from hunting, you aren't getting dinner."

Jesper looked mutinous. "You can't do that! I eat at Jenny's inn!"

"Not if I keep you here long enough that you miss dinner," Halt said calmly. "And between you, me, and the fireplace that you still haven't managed to clean, I think missing dinner is preferable to what Hal and Thorne will do to you if I tell them-"

Jesper sighed wearily, the action ruffling his ash-mustache. "Fine. I'm doing it."

Halt nodded imperiously. "See that you do."

Hal dragged a reluctant Jesper into the dining area of Jenny's inn on the third night of their stay. "Sit," he commanded.

Jesper collapsed into the nearest chair. " What do you want from me? Am I not entitled to sleep? I've been worked like a slave all day!"

Stig glared at him. "You can go back to bed as soon as you tell us where you keep on disappearing every day. We could use your help, you know! I doubt that you've really been working- you were probably just out with the famous Will Treaty or something like that!"

"Jesper's been at my cabin," Halt interceded smoothly, coming up from behind the door, preventing the argument from escalating. Everyone jumped. "He's such a help. Ever since Will left to his own fief it hasn't been the same and Jesper has been ever so kind to volunteer to help me. "

"And he's not wreaking almighty havoc?" Hal raised an eyebrow. Halt gave him a wolfish grin.

"Not in the least. He's been a perfect little angel."

Hal snorted. Jesper was too exhausted to do or say anything else. Letting his head droop onto the hardwood table and knock himself out seemed to be the best thing to do at the moment.

So he did.


	5. Chapter 5

"I'll be back in an hour or so," Halt said the next day, after Jesper had cleaned a single pot about five times before the Ranger was satisfied. "And when I come back, I expect you to have finished making the stew."

"Yes, sir," Jesper bitterly replied. He then quietly added, "Not like I've got a choice, or anything."

Halt heard him.

"Indeed you don't, little thief, unless you want me to tell Thorn and Hal about our- how shall I put it?- ah, yes, our _deal_. Now get on with it."

He took his cloak from the peg beside the door, put it on, and vanished out the door.

Jesper poked a spoon into the bubbling mixture. It looked okay, but it smelled a bit off.

"Only one way to tell," he reasoned, and brought the spoon to his lips.

...

Back from his trip half an hour later, Halt opened the door and stepped into the cabin. A horrible smell of burnt spice and food greeted him, and he recoiled slightly.

"I thought I chose a dish that was impossible to ruin, little thief," he called.  
There was no reply. A quick look around the small cabin revealed no thief, little or otherwise.  
Halt stepped back out of the cabin and looked around. A sound floated toward him on the chilly breeze. It took a moment to register, but once it did-  
"Oh, no," Halt muttered.

He jogged toward the edge of the woods. "Where are you, boy?" He continued running farther into the forest, looking around for any sign of Jesper.

He stopped at a tree branch, which had a piece of rough fabric snagged on it.

Halt's face drained of all color as he found a trail of minute blood droplets heading deeper into the woods.

He ran through the forest, following the blood. "What did that boy do now?"

He continued through the trail and came to a stop at the top of a very rocky waterfall. The stream flowed slowly, cresting at the top, then thundered into a gorge.

"_Little thief!" _Halt shouted down. His voice rose back to him, mocking him; '_thief! thief! thief….' _

"You had better not be dead, because there is no way that I could possibly explain to Thorn and Hal why one of their brotherband is defunct," Halt muttered. He stood as close to the edge of the falls as he dared, peering over the edge. "That's one painful way to go."

He then spotted a bloody handprint on a rock next to the water and then another bloody rock further down the stream, leading to the forest and away from the falls.

"Thank God he was coherent enough to go in the opposite way," Halt muttered. He cupped his hands to his mouth. "_Boy!_ Where are you?"

'_you, you, you…..'_ the trees echoed back.

Halt followed the trail.

His search was finally rewarded through a gap in the trees. Jesper was half-keeled over, his right hand clutching his left arm tightly to his chest.

Quickly and systematically, Halt began attempting to pry the arm loose. His movements were arrested at a strangled yelp as Jesper shot bolt upright.

"What's the matter, boy?"

"Nothing," Jesper said nervously, rubbing his head and trying to catch his breath.

"What happened to you, little thief?"

"I said it's nothing!" Jesper yelled, trying to hide his left arm behind his back.

"Then tell me why I saw bloody handprints on the rocks," Halt said tensely, grabbing Jesper's arm and jerking it forward.

"It's noth- OW!"

Jesper snatched his arm away, unbidden tears of pain springing to his eyes.

"Give it to me," Halt demanded, grabbing at the thief's wrist. "Stop moving."

He peeled back Jesper's sleeve. It was matted with blood. Cursing himself for not noticing earlier, Halt turned Jesper's arm so the inside was facing upward, and ran his finger along a long, jagged cut running from elbow to wrist.

"Tree branch?" he asked. Jesper's eyes were squeezed tightly shut in agony as Halt probed the cut.

"Don't- touch it- stop it-!"

"It's not deep," Halt told him. "But you've lost blood and you're still losing it."

Jesper didn't say anything, choosing instead to moan softly and topple over backward onto Halt's lap.

Halt sighed, drew his saxe, and cut the blooded sleeve away from Jesper's arm.

"Let's get you back to the cabin," Halt told him. "I'll patch you up and then you're going to lie down."

Jesper was already doing just that, slumped in unconsciousness.

Halt knew that the fainting wasn't due to blood loss- it was the psychology of the experience, coupled with the pain. With a gusty sigh, he lifted the limp figure and began to walk back through the woods toward the cabin, not even noticing the blood dripping gently down onto his shirt.

Jesper came to just as Halt was boiling a pot of water.

"Whaz' dat for?" he mumbled. Halt turned around.

"To clean out your wound. Now hold out your arm," Halt instructed, pulling his saxe out of his belt. Jesper looked at it apprehensively, then up at Halt.

"Are you going to cut me?" he asked, in a very small voice.

"No," Halt told him. "Now hold out your arm, little thief."

Jesper extended his arm nervously. "What are you going to do?"

"Hack it clean off if you don't be quiet," Halt replied shortly. Jesper subsided into nervous silence.

With a quick, precise wrist movement, Halt sliced away the rest of the material obscuring the cut, reaching over as he did so for the bowl of hot water, which he dipped a clean cloth into. The Ranger returned the knife to its sheath and began cleaning the oozy, sticky mess of blood off the thief's arm. Jesper moaned in pain and tried to pull away. Halt held him steady.

"Stop moving," he ordered. "You'll hurt yourself."

"_You're_ hurting me!"

"I'll hurt you a lot more if you don't stop squirming," Halt said sharply. Jesper bit down hard on his lip as Halt began wiping again.

"I don't feel so good."

"I'm going to finish this no matter how many excuses you make," Halt said shortly.

"I think I'm going to be sick."

"No, you won't. Not on my floor."

Jesper subsided into silence as Halt finished with the water. The Ranger pulled a small tin out of his pack and unscrewed it to reveal a thick, gray-white paste.

"What's that?" Jesper asked uncertainly.

"Salve," Halt told him. "Derived from the warmweed drug. It'll help with the pain."

Jesper knew about warmweed, but he let Halt slather it on anyway. It felt good; numbing the pain and soothing the sting.

"Better?" Halt inquired.

Jesper hiccuped.  
"Are you all right, little thief?" Halt asked, somewhat apprehensively. Jesper hiccuped again, then clamped both hands over his mouth.

"Little thief," Halt said sharply, reaching out for Jesper's wrist.

"_Don't!" _Jesper lurched away from him.

Halt just managed to get out of the way before a veritable avalanche of vomit cascaded from Jesper's mouth and spattered onto the floor.

"What did you _put_ in the stew?" Halt asked in amazement. Jesper moaned softly.  
"I- I- I just did what you told me," he whispered, before another wave of half-digested food made its appearance. Halt stepped back hurriedly.  
"Why?" he mumbled to himself as he headed outside to the water bucket Jesper had filled that morning. "Why, out of all the people I come in contact with, does this one have to get sick? Why!"  
He returned with the water bucket and a cup to find Jesper curled into a fetal position on the floor, both arms wrapped tightly around his abdomen and his entire body quivering.  
"Drink," Halt told him, helping him to sit up and handing him a cup of water. "This'll help. Drink it all."  
Jesper downed the cup in two desperate swallows. He lay back down, shuddered, and promptly threw up once more.  
"Again," Halt ordered, feeling a little more in control of the situation now that he knew what was going on. He refilled the cup, knelt down, lifted Jesper's head, and forced his mouth open. "Keep drinking until the last bit of whatever made you sick is out."

Jesper moaned pathetically, but swallowed the water, which came back up a few seconds later. Halt waited until his frantic gasping eased, then gave him another drink. Jesper sat there, his breath shuddering in his throat, but the water stayed down. Halt waited. Nothing.

"Go and lie down," Halt ordered. "I'll call you out later."

"But if I'm lying down, I'm not working," Jesper said uncertainly. "Are you going to tell Hal or Thorn about the- you know-?"

"Well, you deserve it," Halt replied. Jesper's eyes widened in fear.

"However," the Ranger added ruefully, "I won't."

"But that goes against our agreement and then you'll tell Hal and he'll threaten to throw me overboard the next time we're at sea like he does to the twins!"

Halt sighed. "I thought we were over this. I already told you that I don't want Erak knowing that you got hurt under my watch because I have no interest in another war between our two countries. Now go lie down before the bandage comes off and you bleed out onto my floor."

Jesper nodded thankfully- despite the salve Halt had applied, his wrist hurt quite a bit. He didn't feel very well, either.

"I said, _go lie down._"

Jesper went.


	6. Chapter 6

"Feeling better?" Halt inquired crisply when Jesper made his reappearance in the kitchen a few hours later.  
"Just a bit tired," Jesper replied, with a shaky attempt at a smile.  
"Tiredness I can deal with, little thief," Halt said cheerily. "You can now go and get the wood for the fire."  
Jesper nodded wearily and trooped out.

"You can come in now, little thief," Halt called out the door. "Dinner's ready."  
Jesper slumped up the steps, half-asleep on his feet and leaning heavily on the side of the cabin to avoid falling over. He was shivering; the cold evening air combined with exertion of splitting logs combined with the effects of earlier in the day did not prove a congenial fusion.

"Firewood's done," he mumbled.  
"Good," Halt replied. "Go and get four good-sized pieces and bring them inside. The fire's getting low."  
Jesper did as he was told; only dropping two of them as he stumbled back into the cabin. Halt took them and set them on the fire.

"Sit," the Ranger invited, gesturing at the table.

"I don't want food," Jesper mumbled. "'M not hungry."

"I said, _sit_."

Jesper sat.

Halt pushed a plate toward him. "It's nothing heavy, just toasted flatbread and water- I'm not entirely sure you deserve much more after today's fiasco. Eat."

"I can't."

_"Eat,"_ Halt commanded. "It should help. And you still have to finish your chores- hard to do that on an empty stomach."  
Jesper took a small bite of bread, and then a sip of water.  
"That's better," Halt said. He took a generous bite of his own bread. "When you've finished, Abelard's stable needs tending to. When that's done, come and tell me."

Jesper nodded, took another nibble of his toast, and closed his eyes tiredly.

Halt hadn't changed a bit.

"Hey, boy," Jesper said softly, coming forward to stroke Abelard's soft nose. "What's your name?"

Abelard nudged the apple barrel. Jesper grinned. "Are you hungry?"

Nudge.

"Here you are, then."

The horse neatly lifted the apple from Jesper's palm and crunched on it happily.

"Glad someone appreciates me," the Skandian muttered. "Your master doesn't seem to know the meaning of the word."

Another nudge.

"Another apple?"

Nudge.

"Here you go."

Another nudge.

Jesper laughed incredulously. "At this rate, I'll never get around to any actual work!"

_Suits me fine, _the horse seemed to say.

Jesper set down the hay bale he was carrying, then sank down onto it. The exertion had made him queasy, he really didn't want a repeat of the afternoon's events, his arm was aching, it was getting very cold, and he was so _tired._

"I'll just lie down for a bit," he mumbled. "Just for a minute."

Abelard gave a soft whinny of encouragement.

"But just for a minute."

Jesper closed his eyes and, within three seconds, he had entered the realm of slumber.

"Where is that boy?" Halt muttered. "How long does it take to do a simple task?"

He looked out the window and, on a moment's impulse, decided to go and check on the boy.  
Halt entered the stable. Abelard whinnied softly as he approached.  
Jesper was lying curled up on a bale of hay, his eyes closed, his mouth slightly ajar and emitting soft clouds of vapor on his exhale. A chill breeze gusted through the stable. Halt pulled his cloak taut about himself, and Jesper shivered, curling up tighter and wrapping his arms around himself. A moment later, he relaxed back into deep sleep.

_He's had a long day,_ Abelard noted.

"I know he has," Halt agreed. "He deserved it."  
_And he didn't complain once._  
"And he gave you apples."  
_That's beside the point._  
"He did, didn't he?"

Abelard produced a most undignified noise. Jesper stirred a little, then went still again.

"Should I leave him out here?" Halt wondered aloud.

_It's too cold out here._

"He's from Skandia. It's cold there. He's used to it."

_Correction- your _heart _is too cold. _  
Halt looked down at Jesper for a moment, considering. Then he bent down, removed his cloak, wrapped the sleeping figure into his arms, and began to back out of the stable.  
"I'll put him on the floor near the fire," he told Abelard quietly. Abelard tossed his head with a snort of approval.

_Seems you're the one who needs a good influence._

"That's what I have you for."

As Halt made his way back to the cabin, another blustery wind blew by. He wrapped the boy tighter in his cloak, then kicked the door to the cabin open. The hinges creaked alarmingly. Jesper twitched.

"Please don't wake up," Halt muttered under his breath.

"So cold," Jesper murmured, still-half asleep, and snuggled deeper into Halt's arms.

"He'd better not be sick again," the Ranger muttered. "Once was entirely enough. "

He gently set Jesper down in front of the fire. "You Skandians are meant to be impervious to the cold. Of course I would get stuck with the one that isn't."

Jesper's eyes flew open.

"Wha- wha-?" he stammered wildly. "It's- it's gone, _where-_"

"Go back to sleep," Halt told him. "It-"

Jesper panicked, thrashing around and tangling the cloak around himself. "No! _No!_ It's still here! Make it _stop-_"

He threw both arms around Halt's neck, heaving the Ranger back down. "Please, please- get it away- stop it stop it stopit_stopit_STOPIT!"

Having absolutely no idea what was going on and even less idea of what to do about it, Halt wrenched Jesper's arms off of his neck and held them down. Jesper writhed under him, eyes still wide and full of inexpressible horror.

"Let me go! _Let me go!"_

"Breathe," Halt ordered. "Breathe!"

Jesper began hyperventilating.

"No, not-!" Halt shut his eyes, praying for patience. "Relax, boy. Just relax. Breathe."

Jesper's breathing slowed. "'M okay. 'M okay," he mumbled. "'M fine."

"Good to know. Now go back to sleep."

Jesper sank slowly back into oblivion.

Halt carefully untangled his cloak from the sleeping form, swung it around his shoulders, then slipped quietly out of the room.

"What's keeping Jesper?" Hal muttered as he paced back and forth in front of the fire. "He's usually back by now!"

"Maybe Halt asked him to stay late," Stig offered. Hal swung to face him.

"Well, he should have said something!" the skirl snapped. Stig backed off, both hands raised.

"I was only trying to help, you know."

"I know," Hal sighed. "But-"

The door swung noiselessly open, and both boys jumped.

"Who's there?" Hal demanded.

An arrow came whistling out of nowhere, flashing past Stig's left ear and burying itself in the table.

Stig let loose with a colorful array of curses. Hal unstuck the arrow from the tabletop.

"There's a note attached," he told his first mate. Stig looked over Hal's shoulder curiously as the skirl read.

_Jesper's at my cabin, where he'll be staying for the night. He will rejoin you tomorrow._

"Well then," Stig said. "That's that."

Hal hmmmed. "I just wish I knew _why_."

Halt jogged back up the steps into the cabin, shouldering his bow. Jesper was lying curled where Halt had left him, his neck bent at an uncomfortable angle against the hardwood floor. Halt smiled as he went to straighten it. A warm feeling crept into his heart- the boy was growing on him. It was sad to know that he would soon part with the little thief.

Something didn't feel right as the Ranger prepared for bed. It was an odd sensation, one he couldn't remember feeling before- almost like something was out of place, or missing.

"I really am getting too old for this," he muttered.

Jesper woke up early the next morning. For a few seconds, he was unsure as to why exactly he was lying on the floor, then a slow trickle of memory filtered into his brain. He sat up, rubbing the back of his neck, and remembered with a jolt that he was leaving Redmont with the other Herons today.

With a grin on his face, Jesper got slowly to his feet and pulled something out of his jerkin. He padded quietly across the room, seized a little bit of paper that was lying on the table, wrapped the small object in it, then stuck it back into his jerkin.


	7. Epilogue

"Jesper!" came a yell from the Heron. "Hal said that if you don't hurry up we're leaving without you!"

"Hold your oars, Stig!" Jesper yelled back, then turned to Halt.

"Halt," he said sweetly. "As thanks for taking care of me this week, I have a little gift for you."

Halt waved the little paper-wrapped package away. "You don't have to give me anything."

"Trust me," Jesper insisted. "You'll want this."

He pressed the paper-wrapped object into Halt's hand, then ran off toward the Heron.

"Halt!" Gilan ran up, panting. "I need to-"

He came up short. "Where's your oakleaf?"

Halt's fingers flew to his throat. The familiar patch of metal was gone.

"That little _thief!_" Halt breathed. Will shuffled forward.

"It's my fault," he mumbled. "I dared Jesper to do it. I'm sorry."

But Halt was too busy unwrapping the little parcel Jesper had pressed on him. As he tore the last bit of paper off, a ray of sunlight flashed off of a shiny silver pendant on a leather thong.

Will's mouth dropped open. Halt unfolded a scrap of paper underneath the necklace.

**.**

_Halt,_

_Looks like I won after all. Give my regards to Will, and tell him that he doesn't need to give me his stamp. I liberated it already._

_Your little thief,_

_Jesper_


End file.
